This invention relates to a device for dental care which is placed entirely within the mouth and chewed.
It is well-known that brushing the teeth is essential for good oral hygiene, as this can remove bacterial plaque, which is responsible for dental decay and inflammation of the gums. Many types of tooth brushes are commerically available, which, when they are used properly, provide excellent dental care. Normal conventional toothbrushes provided with a palatable dentrifrice mass coating are also known.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,870 (Matsunaga) describes a conventional toothbrush having dry cleaning agent adhering to the bristles. The cleaning agent may comprise sweetening materials. British patent specification No. 1,091,550 (Watson et al) discloses a disposable toothbrush having a dried dentifrice coating on the head portion. The dentifrice may comprise sodium lauryl sulphonate, saccharine or other flavouring matter to choice.
German Offelegungsschrift No. 2,648,289 (Voss) describes a disposable toothbrush, the head of which is enveloped in a candy composition, which contains caries producing components, such as saccharose. The adverse effects thereof must be counteracted by using the brush further, after the candy composition has been consumed, by brushing with toothpaste. U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,670 (Amodeo) discloses a conventional toothbrush as well. To promote its use it contains odorific compounds or has a color reminiscent of edible goods, for example candy.
Unfortunately it is found, that, in spite of good instruction by, for example, dentists and oral hygienists, most people brush their teeth poorly with the conventional toothbrushes, that is to say, carelessly and too hastily, and with insufficient frequency. Examples of causes thereof are laziness, lack of time and lack of opportunity to brush the teeth (when travelling or at work).
There are known a few dental care devices for insertion entirely in the mouth, to be chewed upon, although they have no enveloping candy composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,925 (Conder) provides a spherical core with a plurality of individual bristles, which extend outwardly from the core on numerous axes, each of which substantially intersects the center of the spherical core; the whole is coated with a layer of toothpaste.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,412 (Griffin) describes a resilient plastic or rubber tooth cleaning ball with a plurality of groups of bristles along its outer periphery and a hollow interior filled with dentifrice. The dentifrice will be forced out through a plurality of openings in the ball body when the device is chewed upon. The patent further discloses modified devices having a bar-bell or rectangular configuration.
The chewable dental care devices of Conder and Griffin have some major drawbacks. Their brushing effect is slight as chewing on the devices only produces a flattening of the bristles. The bristle ends are not forced in the hidden places, in between the teeth, as is possible with conventional toothbrushing, in fact they even do not reach those places. As the bristles point in all directions they readily hurt tongue and cheeks and (at least) give an unpleasant feeling. Furthermore, the making of those devices by injection moulding is extremely difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,140,294 (Loeffler) discloses a toothbrush in which the bristles extend in the direction of the handle, rather than perpendicularly to it.
French Patent specification No. 1,126,012 (Delaruelle) discloses a device for applying a medicinal paste to teeth and gums. It is made of flaccid material so that it may adapt itself to the shape of the space in the mouth between lips and teeth. The plate shaped languette is merely a member to hold the device in its place, and is not for chewing and cleaning the teeth; furthermore the device has no bristles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,102 (MacDonald) discloses a throw-away toothbrush to be mainipulated not by means of a handle portion, but by means of a finger. For that purpose the backside of the brush body is provided with an adhesive with which it can be adhered to a finger.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,842 (Alley) discloses a tongue supported brush, to be placed on the tongue.
It is observed that dental care devices containing edible materials are known in the prior art. However, they do not contain a chewable brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,045 (Bly) discloses an edible palatable capsule in the form of a brittle shell containing dentifrice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,386 (La Rochelle) discloses a soft chewable lozenge, which contains a starch adhesive and is dispersed in the mouth by the saliva to form a sticky coating on the teeth, which can be removed only by proper brushing. The object of this lozenge is to compel the user to brush his teeth more carefully.
U.S. Pat. No. 31,51,028 (Hay) discloses a sucking tablet stimulating the secretion of the saliva in the mouth.